17 Surprising Facts About Male Cats

There are some surprising facts about male cats that are unique to their gender. In this video, we will talk about 17 interesting facts about male cats.

They live shorter lives
As in humans, female cats tend to live for longer than their male counterparts. On average, the life expectancy of male cats is a year or two less than female cats.
Male cats are more likely to be left-pawed
Believe it or not, most cats have a dominant paw. Scientists have found that cats show a marked preference for the left or right front paw when it comes to knocking things off the table, walking down stairs, or reaching for food. Female cats tend to prefer their right paws, whereas males are more likely to be lefties.
Male Cats Have a Wanderlust
Unlike female cats who tend to stay around the home, male felines often have a more independent nature. They have an active sex drive, which means they are more likely to wander or roam for miles around to find females in heat. They are also more likely to get into a conflict with other male cats due to competition for territory and mates. Male cats are also curious. They like to explore and wander if given the opportunity.
Another offense attributed to male cats is the habit of urine spraying.
Male Cats Are More Affectionate
Although female cat lovers may argue this point, there does seem to be a widespread belief that males are more affectionate than females. A survey of veterinarians who specialize in cats ranked males as friendlier, and some studies support the claim that male cats are more affectionate than female cats.
They Have a Unique Mating Call
When unsprayed female cats are in heat and are ready to mate, they make a loud, distinct yowling sound to attract male cats. Interestingly, male cats also have their own unique courtship call known as caterwauling. They often make this sound to advertise their availability to female cats
They don’t make good fathers
Male cats aren't known for their fathering skills. Other than siring as many kittens as possible, they don’t generally show any interest in their newborn kittens.
Male cats bite the neck of female cats during mating
At one time or another you’ve probably witnessed a mama cat carrying her kittens around by the scruff of their neck. This form of transport is known as scruffing.
As adults, the only times a cat is held by the scruff is when they are attacked by a predator, or while two cats are mating.
Male felines do this to stop the female from moving as the mating process takes place.
Male cats are more prone to obstruction
Male cats are more likely to develop urinary tract blockages in their urethra. It is a painful and life-threatening condition that is extremely common among neutered male cats.
Most orange tabby cats are male
Orange tabbies are much more likely to be male than female. In fact, about 81 percent of orange tabbies are male, making orange female cats a bit of a rarity.
Neutered male cats live longer
Studies have found that neutered cats live 62 percent longer than intact males. This is because neutering prevents reproductive diseases such as testicular cancer, and neutered cats are less likely to roam. A neutered feline is also less inclined to fight for females and territory.
Male Cats Are More Solitary
In the wild, male felines are generally more solitary than females. Whilst the females may set up colonies to help each other rear their young, male cats remain on their own to avoid having to compete for food and females. In one study, researchers found that on average, male cats maintain territory three times larger than females.
Male cats kill kittens
Although it is not very common with domestic cats, male cats have been known to kill kittens, usually kittens that they didn't father.
It often happens if a feline’s hunting drive overcomes his parental instinct.
Another common reason is a feline’s competitive nature. In the wild, killing a rival's young would keep the rival from spreading his genes. It allows the killer cat to advance his genetic agenda and keep the competition from taking over.
Male cats have stronger urges for scratching
Because male cats are more territorial, they have a stronger urge to scratch furniture, doors, and things like carpets.
A Male Cat’s Personality Will Influence His Kittens
A male cat’s temperament has a strong influence on the way his kittens turn out. Research has shown that confident and sociable male cats produce confident and sociable kittens who are easier to socialize with people. Timid fathers on the other hand, produce timid kittens.
Male Maine Coons are giants
Maine Coons are the largest domesticated cat breed. A full-grown male Maine Coon can weigh up to 25 pounds
Male cats have a nickname
Unneutered female cats are called “queens”, and unneutered male cats are often referred to as “toms” or “tomcats.”
They are often named Oliver
The most popular male feline name in 2021 was “Oliver.”

[Mo..]

My male cat, Charlie, lived to be 19 years old, just one month shy of 20. Best kitty ever. I miss him every day. He passed about a month ago. ❤️ my best buddy

[vellathewench]

My first male cat was a wanderer but also a very good dad. He loved the kittens he sired. He often laid with them and cleaned them. I saw him outside once where someone had let their very young cat out, couldn't have been more than 4 months old, and he would follow him around protectively. He was such a sweet boy. I miss him terribly.

[vin]

“Male cats live shorter lives”
*Clutches my old male cat that I would break my own neck for*

[juliannewelch]

I brought 2 male kittens home to my big male neutered cat and after 2 days he was in love with them like a momma cat. He cleaned them and was a proud adoptive dad. He’s the same now with any kitten he meets. He loves kittens.

[echapurnomo]

As a male cat, I can say these are accurate

[thewwgirl]

I had a 23 year old male orange tabby that passed away a few years ago and he was still running and jumping all over the place until his last day. My current cat is an 11 year old male named Radar (he's named after the character from the TV show M*A*S*H) and he acts like a 2 year old child. He's always into something and he is glued to me. Getting your animals fixed in general does help with temperament as well as decreased risk for certain health issues and that's just not for male cats or dogs that also goes for females as well.

[sheilac]

I had a yellow male cat 🐈 that lived outside and lead me over to the edge of the woods where he had his little family, a moma kitty and their kittens living under a rock in a hollowed out place, he was so proud of those kittens, it was sweet 🧡🐾🌼

[LWKLlamas]

My cat Winston was 3 when I got Cooper, at the time my youngest, around 9 weeks old. Winston would wrap himself around Cooper and bathe him and play with him, always protecting him. He was like the adoptive dad to my kitty. Unfortunately Cooper passed away at a year old due to his health conditions; Winnie searched the house for weeks looking for Cooper... It was heartbreaking because Winston became very sad, but he slowly recovered, alongside myself. The fact he helped father my little kitten was incredible. Now he looks to grooming and cuddling his older brother Louis, who mostly enjoys the affection, especially a good cuddle session with his little brother. Even to this day, if I say "Coopy", Winnie's ears go crazy and he purrs, I hope he is remembering the little boy kitty he loved so dearly. Male cats steal my heart; They are so affectionate. If you treat them right and give them all your love, you will have one incredible bond. I thank my cat Winston for being an amazing adopted father, and an amazing brother and son. Cats are wonderful.

[nancyweisbrodt]

I had a male stray that took 2 yrs before he allowed me to pet him. He then lived happily with me for 10 plus yrs. He was such a good boy. He also brought a solo kitten to me that looked exactly like him. He was the best dad to this little one but I couldn't ever really socialize her unfortunately. She was very skittish.

[LocalBurnoutFolkHero]

Had 2 orange Maine Coons growing up, they both lived to be about 15-16. Absolutely the sweetest bunch of boys ever. Figaro would always sit with you no matter where you went, and Sebastian had a unique tic where if you sneezed or even faked a sneeze around him he would “bless” you with a small tiny meow. It never failed, even if you did it like 3 or 4 times in a row he would always do it. I miss them both very much. Such big beautiful orange gentle giants.

[barbara-annperry]

My Tom cat Anthony was 22yrs old when he died on Monday. The oldest male cat I have ever had. My other boy Chico is 18 this year x

[OCRay]

Get them fixed as soon as is safe and give them a good home so they don’t care to leave the home. Things are far too dangerous and learning that the hard way really sucks. So please, take it from someone who has lost cats unnecessarily and do what’s right by them and let them have long happy lives. Something every innocent life deserves. 🤙🏻

[alimohammedabd]

My female cat is a tortoise shell and is 17 years old now. She spends most of her day with my 15 year old son who is special needs. She is very affectionate towards him. Always giving him head bumps and cuddles.

[somerandomperson]

I can definitely agree with males being more friendly, after working at a cat shelter for several years, it is also often the case that the most affectionate males are more aggressive to other cats, most of the males who would start fights with other cats were also the friendliest to people. My cat had a urethral blockage, the signs can actually show several weeks before it happens, he started randomly peeing on the bed comforter sheet over my legs, after the obstruction happened and he got treatment, he stopped peeing on the bed completely.

[alessia]

We found a 40 days old kitten in our garden in 2008, at that time we had two other cats at home, a female who hated any kind of cat company and a male who was extremely affectionate, when we took the kitty at home the female never got close to him while the male cat cared of him just like a father, grooming him, teaching him how to use the litter box and any every other important thing, their bound was so precious

[princessriahyokai]

I was devastated when he said male cats live shorter lives.. I hope my toshi lives past 14 years 🥺💖

[transcubadam]

I had only had a female cat for 17 years before I adopted a sweet ginger boy, Gus, and his sister, Lola, at about 8 weeks. The girls are social enough, and I love them, but Gus is gentle and affectionate in a way they just aren't. Gus is 12lbs and he still loves to suckle, snuggle, and be carried around.

[jennifersmithson]

My orange cat, originally named "Boy" now called "Daddy Boy" is the best daddy cat I've ever heard of. He stayed with Momma all through her labor and helped clean each kitten and has taken care of them since day one. I was so afraid he'd hurt them but he was so gentle and would even roll over to try to let them nurse. It was so adorable. The kittens are now over a yr old and he still cleans them regularly and they all sleep in a big cat pile. He still hangs back and let's them eat first, runs around and plays with them. Meanwhile momma kitty is over the kittens, lol and will hiss and/or give them a swat when they get on her nerves. It's so odd to me, the way he is the primary caregiver. Anyone else encountered anything like that?

[Beth]

My parents had this one cat for almost 18 years. He lived a good long life. He was a stray cat when I was almost 9 years old. He was a good buddy to me. He was a laidback to another cat. He was almost 19 years old.

[neversaygoodbye]

I’ve had quite a few cats and I’ve always thought the males were more affectionate! Glad to hear my observation makes sense 😸